Storing and organizing footwear has traditionally presented a number of problems. Closet space is often used inefficiently and shoes tend to become strewn about the floor of the closet. Locating and picking up shoes is usually quite aggravating.
My U.S. Pat. No. 5,050,746 (hereinafter, Patent No. '746) addresses and overcomes a number of these problems. That patent relates to a rotary shoe rack wherein a number of shoe supporting shelves are mounted along a vertical shaft that is rotatably mounted in a closet or other storage space. Each shelf of that apparatus carries a heel elevating support that is engaged by the heels of the shoes stored on the shelf. The support specifically disclosed in Patent No. '746 comprises a ring that encircles the shaft. The ring is mounted on the shelf by a plurality of support posts that are attached to an inner portion of the shelf. As explained in the patent, by elevating a heel portion above the shelf platform, proper ventilation is maintained around the shoe so that mildew does not collect on the sole of the shoe. Moreover, elevating the heel increases the inner circumference of the arrangement of shoes and therefore permits a greater number of pairs to be accommodated on each shelf.
Although my previously disclosed heel elevating support works quite well, it exhibits several drawbacks. Most significantly, the support is not vertically adjustable. The heels of the stored shoes are raised to a fixed height above the shelf. The support cannot be adjusted relative to the shelf, in order to accommodate different shoe sizes, men's and women's shoes and varying numbers of shoes as desired. In some cases larger sized footwear does not fit properly on the shelf because the heel support is fixed too low and the shoes extend beyond the periphery of the shelf. Additionally, my previous design requires that a number of posts be interconnected between the shelf and the heelsupporting rail. Manufacturing and assembling the apparatus can be fairly time consuming and tedious. I have also determined that an aesthetically improved heel rail support would be desirable.